Okay. So there is one more day of the Alaska State Fair, and two days of clean up left. Today was rather tough, had to sit in a traffic jam for some time, and then once I was there, had to deal with the fact that there were not enough volunteers to get the job done. It was so crowded that I pretty much stayed in the sorting and collection area – I knew from venturing out to tend to the goats that it was too crowded for my liking.

The work is not at all hard – I have no aches or pains at all, and am easily able to keep up with it. I do not do certain things any more because I simply see these tasks – like dumping a large garbage can into a tall and near full dumpster, as being easier for someone

Alys and Tyra

else to do. Even last year, I’d do this, but I have grown wiser. I am not going to say older because this implies that I don’t have the physical wherewithal to do this anymore and this is definitely not the case.

What’s hard is dealing with people, like the teenager who complained of aches and pains and the general fair atmosphere – too many people – finally, I told him just to go home. And like the ROTC teenagers who tend to be on the lazy side. And like the older volunteer who got on my case because I was not riding herd on them. And like the woman who, after several cart runs, said she could do no more. And like the person on the shift before me who today didn’t seem to care about the job and would not (when asked) bring me back food, fix the leaky hose valve before leaving, or dump that load of garbage into the dumpster.

And like the volunteer coordinator who did not coordinate volunteers, so we were very short staffed. I did not mind being short staffed. I minded having to work with a very simple minded individual who thought she’d save the world by working overtime, but the whole time complained about this.

What, right now, at the end of this figurative marathon, are the thoughts as to what I am going to do with the money. Tyra is getting a new saddle. Yes, I know that what I’m doing is service work, and in fact I should be thrilled about the fact that my efforts are going to reduce the amount of garbage going into the landfill. This in itself is a reward, but it’s not reward enough. The saddle, that’s the reward.

Riding Tyra today and the day before yesterday has contributed to my mostly cheery attitude because this, at least in my mind, is making the prospect of getting the saddle more tangible. I can see it, a simple Synergist endurance saddle with swinging stirrups. And I can see myself, riding long distances in it. Yep, this is incentive, something I really need now and will need the next three days.